How much compensation for a delayed UK to United States flight?
£520 each, if you land 3 hours or more late
Check your flight
FreePick your airports and the date you flew. We'll list every flight on that route that day.
A few quick questions. No personal details needed.
Flights between the UK and United States are worse than most of the 71 countries the UK flies to most for 3-hour delays.
- Flights a year
- 93,486
- Routes tracked
- 15
- Land 3 hrs or more late
- 935a year
Last 12 months, CAA data
What you're owed
£520each if you land 3 hours or more late
Every route the CAA tracks between the UK and United States falls in the same distance band (Over 3,500 km), so a delay of 3 hours or more pays a flat £520 each if the flight left the UK (€600 under EU261 if it left United States instead and the airline was a UK or EU carrier). Find your route below.
| Route | 3 hours or more pays |
|---|---|
| Heathrow → New York (John F Kennedy) | £520each |
| Heathrow → New York (Newark) | £520each |
| Heathrow → Los Angeles International | £520each |
| Heathrow → Chicago (O'Hare) | £520each |
| Heathrow → Boston | £520each |
| Heathrow → San Francisco | £520each |
| Heathrow → Washington (Dulles) | £520each |
| Heathrow → Miami International | £520each |
| Heathrow → Atlanta | £520each |
| Heathrow → Dallas/Fort Worth | £520each |
| Heathrow → Houston | £520each |
| Heathrow → Seattle (Tacoma) | £520each |
| Heathrow → Charlotte | £520each |
| Heathrow → Philadelphia International | £520each |
| Heathrow → Denver International | £520each |
All 15 tracked UK ↔ United States routes, sorted by yearly flight volume. Figures are each; the EU version of the law pays €600 for the same band.
The figure is payable only when the delay was within the airline's control. A technical fault, a crew shortage or a late inbound aircraft all count; genuinely extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather or an air traffic control restriction do not.
How bad is it
Do flights between the UK and United States get delayed a lot?
Yes, more than most. They're worse than most of the 71 countries the UK flies to most, with 1.0% of flights landing 3 or more hours late.
That works out at about 935 flights a year crossing the 3-hour line, which is the point the airline has to pay.
When is it worst?
July 2025, when flights between the UK and United States ran an average of 21.4 minutes late.
See all the numbers for United States
In the last 12 months, 93,486 flights operated between the UK and United States: 76.2% ran within 15 minutes of schedule, and 1.0% were 3 or more hours late, roughly 935 flights' worth of eligible passengers in a year. The CAA's figures don't separate arrivals from departures, so this covers the corridor both ways.
Flights are landing on time more often than last year: 76.2% ran on time against 73.0% in the twelve months before, and the average delay fell from 18.5 to 15.7 minutes.
Flights (12mo)
93,486
On time
76.2%
▲ 3.2pts vs last year
Avg delay
15.7 min
▼ 2.8 min vs last year
3 hours or more late
1.0%
Cancelled
1.9%
United States, month by month
Worst month: July 2025, averaging 21.4 minutes.
Busiest routes between the UK and United States
| UK airport | Destination | 3 hours or more pays |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | New York (John F Kennedy) | £520each |
| Heathrow | New York (Newark) | £520each |
| Heathrow | Los Angeles International | £520each |
| Heathrow | Chicago (O'Hare) | £520each |
| Heathrow | Boston | £520each |
| Heathrow | San Francisco | £520each |
| Heathrow | Washington (Dulles) | £520each |
| Heathrow | Miami International | £520each |
| Heathrow | Atlanta | £520each |
| Heathrow | Dallas/Fort Worth | £520each |
| Heathrow | Houston | £520each |
| Heathrow | Seattle (Tacoma) | £520each |
| Heathrow | Charlotte | £520each |
| Heathrow | Philadelphia International | £520each |
| Heathrow | Denver International | £520each |
Where you fly from
UK airports flying to United States
Who flies there
Airlines flying between the UK and United States
| Airline | 3 hours or more late | Landed on time |
|---|---|---|
| British Airways | 0.6% | 74.0% |
| Virgin Atlantic | 0.3% | 81.7% |
| United Airlines | 1.8% | 75.8% |
| American Airlines | 1.8% | 74.1% |
| Delta Air Lines | 0.9% | 79.3% |
| JetBlue Airways | 0.5% | 81.6% |
| Norse Atlantic UK | 2.3% | 72.7% |
| Aer Lingus | 1.2% | 67.9% |
| TUI Airways | 1.1% | 59.4% |
| Alaska Airlines | <0.5% | 65.0% |
Your rights
Your rights on this corridor
Every flight leaving the UK for United States is covered by UK law, whichever airline operates it. Flights the other way, landing in the UK from United States, are covered too if a UK or EU airline operated them; a return flight on a non-UK, non-EU carrier falls outside it, though the Montreal Convention and United States's own rules may still give you a claim. See the full breakdown on the 3-hour rule. Cancelled instead of delayed? Broadly the same amounts apply under different conditions. See cancelled flight compensation.
From our own tracking
Recent flights from United States that ran late
Every arrival into the airports we sweep that departed United States and ran 3 or more hours late, or was cancelled, since August. Newest first, and only flights UK or EU rules cover. A cancelled row carries no figure because what it pays turns on the notice you were given. Amounts are per person on the booking (half on the longest flights that landed 3 to 4 hours late). Airlines can still dispute a claim by proving the cause was outside their control, so check yours for the real answer.
Virgin Atlantic
Los Angeles → London Heathrow Airport
7 Oct · 10:15
British Airways
Boston → London Heathrow Airport
7 Oct · 18:40
British Airways
Chicago → London Heathrow Airport
6 Oct · 06:50
British Airways
Phoenix → London Heathrow Airport
5 Oct · 15:05 → 18:37
British Airways
Boston → London Heathrow Airport
4 Oct · 18:40 → 22:11
British Airways
New Orleans → London Heathrow Airport
4 Oct · 12:40
British Airways
Portland → London Heathrow Airport
4 Oct · 13:00
British Airways
Dallas-Fort Worth → London Heathrow Airport
3 Oct · 10:55
British Airways
Atlanta → London Heathrow Airport
2 Oct · 11:45
British Airways
Miami → London Heathrow Airport
30 Sept · 06:55
British Airways
Los Angeles → London Heathrow Airport
30 Sept · 15:25
Virgin Atlantic
New York → London Heathrow Airport
30 Sept · 20:10
Virgin Atlantic
Las Vegas → London Heathrow Airport
29 Sept · 15:55 → 19:52
British Airways
Boston → London Heathrow Airport
29 Sept · 07:10
Yours in the list? Check it free and we'll tell you what the airline owes you.
Watch my flight
Flying soon? We'll watch your flight
If it lands 3 hours or more late we email you what you're owed.
Airlines flying to United States
See all countries · See all UK airports · See all airlines
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics, July 2025 to June 2026. Analysis by CheckFlightCompensation; the CAA is credited as the data source as its publication conditions require. Figures cover the 25 largest UK airports. Methodology and limitations.